Newcastle United welcome newly promoted Watford to St James Park on Saturday, with the Magpies looking for a much needed three points following a winless first five games.
The Hornets have made an impressive start to life in the Premier League, taking six points from five outings with their solitary win coming last weekend against a Swansea City side riding high on confidence.
Victory for the Newcastle would be a big boost after a slow start, whilst a second consecutive win for Watford would highlight a suburb return to Premier League football.
Key Battle – Papiss Cisse vs Odion Ighalo
In the 10 matches combined with these two sides this season, only five goals have been scored (two from Newcastle and three from Watford). This tells us that if anything, we should not expect a goal-fest on Saturday with potentially one goal either side being enough. Because of this, expect the main strikers from each side to have a major say in who takes the points.
For Newcastle, Papiss Cisse should be eager to put in a good shift after a calamitous performance against West Ham last Monday while Odion Ighalo, who has scored two of Watford’s three goals this season, will be pivotal for them. Heading into this season, many onlookers expected captain Troy Deeney to be the main man for the Hornets, but Ighalo’s early season form suggests the Nigerian will be crucial in their cause.
Team News
Aleksandr Mitrovic will once again be absent as he serves the second of a three-match suspension whilst Paul Dummett, Emmanuel Riviere and Sylvain Marveaux are all still injured. Expect to see changes from the starting side that lost 2-0 at the Boleyn Ground.
Newcastle United Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Krul (GK); Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara; Sissoko, Colback; Thauvin, Wijnaldum, Perez; Cisse.
Valon Behrami serves the first of a three-match suspension following his sending off for a dangerous stamp on Swansea’s Andre Ayew last weekend. Fringe players Lloyd Doyley and Joel Ekstrand remain injured and will not travel to Newcastle. Ben Watson is likely to replace the suspended Behrami. Other than that it should be the same starting XI that beat Swansea.
Watford Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Gomes (GK); Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Anya; Capoue, Watson; Abdi, Deeney, Jurado; Ighalo.
Head-to-head
These two have played on 36 occasions, with the Magpies holding the ledger at 14 wins to eight. There have been 14 draws in this fixture. Only two of Watford’s eight wins have come at St James Park – none of which have been since 1981.
Previous Meeting
The most recent meeting between these sides came over five years ago in late February 2010 in the Championship when a 2-1 victory for Newcastle at Vicarage Road was yet another win for the Magpies in their promotion-winning season. On that day, goals from Andy Carroll and current captain Fabricio Coloccini put the Toon in poll position until Will Hoskins netted a consolation strike for the Hornets in added time.
Prediction
Looking at the way both teams have played this season, this match does not loom as a classic in the making. However both Newcastle and Watford will see this as winnable so expect both sets of players to be fired up. Whilst it is too early to call this a must win game for the Magpies, anything less than three points will only raise concerns and heap pressure on Steve McClaren. On the whole, they have not played too badly but the loss at West Ham showed shades of last season and getting the elusive first win of the season sooner rather than later would ease the tension around St James Park.
For Watford, a win on Saturday could see them rise into the top half of the table and have a return of nine points from six games, an impressive start for a newly promoted team. It should be close but Newcastle are at home and should come out firing, trying to atone for last Monday. Expect the Toon to just edge it and claim their first win of the season.
Newcastle United 1 Watford 0
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